Gorilla fund makes councillors jealous

Gorilla fund makes councillors jealous

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

City Councillors expressed their jealousy on Tuesday over four
gorillas from England that will receive Rp 3.2 billion annually
from the city budget, while their own demand for life insurance
worth Rp 4.3 billion was rejected.

"We are sad that Rp 3.2 billion has been allocated for four
gorillas, while our demand for insurance for 85 'gorillas' here
was rejected," councillor Azis Boeang told reporters.

Being upset, Azis termed the 85 city councillors "gorillas."

Azis, a member of City Council Commission C for budgetary
affairs, questioned the huge sum of money for the gorillas,
saying the giant apes would not contribute to the city's revenue.

He revealed that the Rp 3.2 billion would be used to support
the gorillas, such as providing their daily food.

The city's Ragunan zoo is itself still unable to contribute to
the city's revenue.

"It's ironic that the councillors who managed to increase the
city's budget were not insured while four gorillas were given
huge attention," Azis of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle said.

He regretted that the city councillors agreed to the
allocation of the funds for the gorillas against their own will.

"We were forced to agree with the allocation of the funds," he
said.

Life insurance was the last request made by the city
councillors, who have been criticized for making too many
demands. Among their facilities were foreign trips, cars, and
graduate and postgraduate studies. Earlier, they had also asked
for a new building equipped with a health center, including a
sauna.

Another councillor, Ridho Kalamuddin, said the gorillas, from
the Howletts and Port Lympne animal park in Kent, which were
expected to arrive here next month, would have a huge sum of
money a day spent on each of them from the city budget.

"Can you imagine how much money we would need if the gorillas
live here for 50 years?" Ridho of the United Development Party
said.

He said the city administration urged the council to agree the
allocation of the funds since the gorillas would increase the
zoo's reputation.

He questioned the decision to give a subsidy of Rp 3.2 billion
a year for the gorillas' food, given the current economic crisis
here.

"The foreign parties, which are sending the gorillas, should
cover their food costs, not just their enclosure. It (the food)
should not be paid for by the city," Ridho told reporters.

The four gorillas, Kihi, Kimbou, Kijou and Kumao, were
originally scheduled to arrive here earlier this month, but the
arrival was delayed due to security concerns in the wake of the
anti-US rallies here.

The delivery of the gorillas has been arranged and financed by
an animal lovers' foundation established by the late Mrs. Puck
Schmutzer.

The foundation has built a giant enclosure for the gorillas,
costing Rp 10 billion, in Ragunan zoo.